Inferno

A Novel [featuring Robert Langdon]

With the publication of his groundbreaking novels The Da Vinci Code , The Lost Symbol , and Angels & Demons , Dan Brown has become an international bestselling sensation, seamlessly fusing codes, symbols, art, and history into riveting thrillers that have captivated hundreds of millions of readers around the world. Now, Dan Brown takes readers deep into the heart of Italy . . . guiding them through a landscape that inspired one of history's most ominous literary classics.

"The darkest place in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in a hospital in the middle of the night. Disoriented and suffering from a head wound, he recalls nothing of the last thirty-six hours, including how he got there . . . or the origin of the macabre object that his doctors discover hidden in his belongings. Langdon's world soon erupts into chaos, and he finds himself on the run in Florence with a stoic young woman, Sienna Brooks, whose clever maneuvering saves his life. Langdon quickly realizes that he is in possession of a series of disturbing codes created by a brilliant scientist--a genius whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written--Dante Alighieri's dark epic poem The Inferno . Racing through such timeless locations as the Palazzo Vecchio, the Boboli Gardens, and the Duomo, Langdon and Brooks discover a network of hidden passageways and ancient secrets, as well as a terrifying new scientific paradigm that will be used either to vastly improve the quality of life on earth . . . or to devastate it. In his most riveting and thought-provoking novel to date, Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again. Inferno is a sumptuously entertaining read--a novel that will captivate readers with the beauty of classical Italian art, history, and literature . . . while also posing provocative questions about the role of cutting-edge science in our future.

Spoiler warning: the reduction caused by the virus means that instead of doubling the population (arbitrary numbers) in 30 years it will take 40 years. I would render 50% of females or 90% of males infertile with the virus non effective in 20-40 years.

The illustrated edition makes this a much more fun read, plus we've got issues of bioterrorism, a new direction for Dan Brown that disturbs you, although it's a little discordant from Dante. I found the dialogue rough and in need of a serious edit to take out all the uses of "?!" to express shock, disgust, and rage.

How many esoteric art history thriller plots can one guy cram into the old cities of Europe? Answer: still just the one. Brown's novels are nicely researched, and I always learn a lot. But the execution and writing style are so very 'meh.' It's a page turner because I end up skimming...

As a side note, the Langdon character's got a photographic memory: what's with "suddenly remembering" stuff? Brown pulled that mess more than once in 'Inferno.' Boooo.

Inferno along with ALL of Brown's other books are over hyped and the story literally doesn't make sense. I don't get why people like these book. I hear "the shootout was awesome". Maybe. But the other 455 pages leading up to the shootout didnt even make sense. The story is full of plot holes. Horrible book (classic Brown I guess.)

“Consider this. It took the earth’s population thousands of years — from the early dawn of man all the way to the early 1800s—to reach one billion people. Then, astoundingly, it took only about a hundred years to double the population to two billion in the 1920s. After that, it took a mere fifty years for the population to double again to four billion in the 1970s. As you can imagine, we’re well on track to reach eight billion very soon. Just today, the human race added another quarter-million people to planet Earth. A quarter million. And this happens every day—rain or shine. Currently, every year, we’re adding the equivalent of the entire country of Germany.”

“He once described himself as being trapped on a ship where the passengers double in number every hour, while he is desperately trying to build a lifeboat before the ship sinks under its own weight.” She paused. “He advocated throwing half the people overboard.”

Summary

Renowned Harvard professor Robert Langdon is once again put into a web of another art conspiracy scheme, this time done by a mysterious virologist who wants to hide his plot to destroy the world in Dante's The Divine Comedy.

Internationally renowned and hunky Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is once again at the center of an art-related plot, this time by a narcissistic virologist who has hidden his plan to destroy humanity in the seminal work of Dante.
Oh, stop, you know you want to read this. Unfortunately, like most of Brown's other books, this is quite short on plot and heavy on running. One thing I noticed is Brown paces his books like really long TV shows: each chapter is a short scene which ends with a little cliff-hanger. Would only recommend this to people who *really* like Brown's books.